


A Flenderson Friend

by broadwayturtle



Category: The Office (US)
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Suicidal Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 17:51:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14623941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadwayturtle/pseuds/broadwayturtle
Summary: You find out just how bad Toby really feels about his life. Friendship ensues.





	A Flenderson Friend

**Author's Note:**

> I hope I didn't make it sound too cheesy, because I really did intend it as a friendship thing. I'm just super extra and I get carried away lol. Any feedback is appreciated, seeing as how I wrote this like at 3am on a whim.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I realized this fic may come off as romanticizing depression or saying that friendship or love automatically can cure it, which was not my intention at all. I just really like to write angst lol. Plus there's not a lot of room in a short one-shot fic for me to convey all the nuances and such of depression and suicidal ideation. Maybe someone better could do it though. Who knows. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Toby invites you over to his house. He's excited to show you something he found earlier, but he accidentally forgot to delete his search history. You stare, horrified, as you read the suggestions that come from "how to":

 _How to tie a noose_  
_How to die painlessly_  
_How to remove car airbags_

He realizes you've seen it and immediately closes his laptop, but it's too late. He tries to play it off as research for his book, but you can tell he's lying by how ashamed he looks.

You don't know what to do, so you put your hand on his shoulder. You feel his muscles tense.

"I'm fine, it's fine, I swear."

You frown, unconvinced.

"Do you..need a hug anyway? I won't make it weird if you don't make it weird."

He laughs.

"You just made it weirder."

"Fine, do you want a weird hug then?"

"If you insist."

He stands up and you hug him and the both of you laugh at how awkward it is, but soon you notice Toby's stopped breathing, and the next sound out of his mouth isn't a laugh. It's a whimper, followed by a series of stifled sobs that make him shake with the effort it takes to hold them back.

You expected this, but it still breaks your heart. As awkward and as sad as this is, some part of you feels compelled to stay with him until this is over. Maybe some part of you even understands what he's going through, and that's the reason why. You're not sure.

He ends up crying on and off for most of the night. The both of you eventually sit down and watch a movie, though you mostly talk over it, sometimes venting to one another, sometimes just joking around. You don't remember when you fell asleep, but when Toby wakes you up infuriatingly early the next morning, you realize you've got a blanket over you and a pillow under your head. You complain about how early it is, but he insists that you go home and get at least _half_ a good night's rest. The crick in your neck tells you he's right.

You oversleep once you're home, but when you eventually get to work, you notice Toby is smiling a lot more than he usually does. You decide to ask him if he wants to take his lunch break at the same time as you, and he emphatically agrees.

From then on, the two of you hang out a lot more. You find out you have a lot more in common with each other than either of you initially thought, and you introduce new things to one another that you bond over as well. Eventually he introduces you as his best friend in passing, but seems to immediately regret it. He turns to you and begins to stutter out a denial, but you interrupt him with a wave of your hand.

"It's fine. I would've said the same for you. I won't make it weird if you don't make it weird."

His face lights up in understanding.

"You just made it weird again."

 


End file.
